Success knocked on the door of Pradeep Marandi, a city boy, a day in advance.

Pradeep, like other aspirants, was expecting the results of the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Examination (NEET) to pursue a MBBS course, on August 17 as announced by the CBSE earlier.

But the good news reached the boy on Tuesday, a day in advance. He secured the 84th rank in the test.

The first phase of NEET was held on May 1, while another round was organised for those who missed the Phase 1 examination on July 24. A little over eight lakh students had appeared for the test of which over four lakh were declared successful.

Pradeep was pleasantly surprised when his parents called him up on Tuesday to congratulate him for his outstanding result in the medical exam. He was in Bhubaneswar. "It is double joy for me as I have not just made it to the NEET but also secured a seat in AIIMS-Bhubaneswar," he said.

The boy cleared the AIIMS, JIPMER and state medical examinations with flying colours. He completed his Class XII exam from St Xavier's School, Bhabua, in 2015 but took the medical examination the first time this year.

Pradeep's father, Betka Marandi, a primary school teacher, said: "My son's devotion has yielded results and my dream has come true. It is surely a proud moment for us. He will be the first one from our family to be making a career in this field." His mother, Saroj Murmu, also a primary school teacher, was overjoyed with her son's success.

Pradeep wants to be a cardio surgeon. "I love challenges. This career is challenging for me. Both my brothers are in the engineering field and I want to try something different. My aim is to serve the people of my country," he said. He owes his success to parents who believed in his vision and dream.

Anshika Sinha, a girl from Biharsharif, secured an all-India rank of 713.

Anshika had faith that her determination and dedication will surely bring success in her life. She secured the 713th rank by scoring 574 out of 720 marks. She also cleared the AIIMS entrance exam. "I was not quite satisfied with my AIIMS result as I got a seat in Patna-AIIMS after counselling. Now, I hope to get into a good medical college in Delhi," she said. She is hoping to get admission in Lady Hardinge Medical College.

Anshika attributed her success to the teachers who mentored and motivated her from time to time. The girl wants to be a neurosurgeon. She dedicated 14 hours a day to her studies. She scored 92 per cent in her Class XII board exam this year. "I preferred only NCERT books and then concentrated on my subjects. I did not make any extraordinary effort but stayed focused on cracking AIIMS entrance test," said Anshika.

Born to businessman father Manoj Kumar and homemaker mother Rinku Kumari, Anshika is the first from her family to qualify for this prestigious exam. Manoj Kumar said: "Anshika's hard work and dedication eventually paid off. All of us in the family are very happy about her success."